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“I've come to believe that Grafton is not only the most talented woman writing crime fiction today but also that, regardless of gender, her Millhone books are among the five or six best series any American has ever written.”—Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post
Kinsey and Me has two parts: The nine Kinsey stories (1986-93), each a gem of detection; and the And Me stories, written in the decade after Grafton's mother died. Together, they show just how much of Kinsey is a distillation of her creator’s past even as they reveal a child who, free of parental interventions, read everything and roamed everywhere. But the dark side of such freedom was that very parental distance.
The same feisty voice and witty apercus readers fell in love with in A Is for Alibi permeate the Kinsey stories. Those in the And Me section trace a remarkable voyage, from anger to understanding, from pain to forgiveness. They take us into a troubled family, dysfunctional as most families are, each in their own way, but Grafton’s telling is sensitive, delicate, and ultimately, loving. Enriching the way we see Kinsey and know Sue, these stories are deeply affecting.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
January 8, 2013 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781101928165
- File size: 220749 KB
- Duration: 07:39:53
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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November 26, 2012
This short story collection from Grafton (V Is for Vengeance) combines glimpses of her series detective, Kinsey Milhone, with a revealing self-portrait, separating the two with a thoughtful essay on the evolution of the private eye. The volume opens with nine crisply plotted Milhone tales, each with a clever hook: a woman’s book club that does more than read about alibis, a twist on the classic “poison that leaves no trace.” The second, shorter section contains 13 pieces written after the death of the author’s mother. Featuring “a younger version” of Grafton called Kit Blue and a moody, atmospheric style, they searingly evoke the author’s alcoholic parents as she struggles to make peace with her troubled childhood. These provide moving and surprising insights into the woman behind the bestsellers. Though the two sections of the book feel strikingly different, fans will admire Grafton’s impressive output and feisty fictional detective all the more knowing the challenging beginnings from which both grew. Agent: Molly Friedrich, the Friedrich Agency. -
Grafton's unique work has two parts: The nine Kinsey Millhone detective stories are gems of witty insight into the human condition, told in Grafton's familiar authorial voice. The memoir part of the book reveals Kinsey's origins and takes a sensitive but realistic look at Grafton's life and dysfunctional family. Judy Kaye's no-nonsense reading style uses her plethora of voice changes, heightened emotion, and precise pauses to increase the suspense and add to the drama. Kaye has a delightful alto voice and a seemingly innate storytelling ability. The affinity she has developed for Kinsey and Grafton over their 20-plus years of collaboration is palpable. Series fans will be delighted, and new fans may result. S.C.A. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from March 25, 2013
The larger “Kinsey” part of this collection consists of nine stories that feature Grafton’s durable private detective Kinsey Millhone doing what she does best: solving crimes and delighting readers, albeit in an abbreviated format that relies more on quick twists of plot than depth of character. Judy Kaye, who has been narrating the series from the start, does her usual, spot-on job of capturing the sharply observant sleuth in all her moods—from snarky and suspicious to wistful. It’s the “Me” section of the collection that presents a surprise: 13 linked semi-autobiographical stories, written after the death of Grafton’s mother that follow the life of a woman named Kit Blue, from her youth as the resentful, guilt-ridden child of alcoholic parents to her late 20s, when she receives a letter from her father that helps her make peace with the past. Kaye’s rendition of these stories is flawless. Her Kit even sounds like a young Kinsey Millhone, sharing the same suspicious outlook, the same reaction to disappointment and—on rare occasions—to happiness. A Marian Wood Book/Putnam hardcover.
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